The Education Committee reviewed, discussed, and made
decisions on a wide range of subjects in its meetings during the past year.

1.
proposal for an mpa program in earth systems science, policy and management
(sipa and earth institute) at biosphere 2

The proposal called for the program to be taught in its
entirety at Biosphere 2, and largely by faculty residing in Arizona. While the
program represented another version of the MPA program, which has been in
existence for many years, and thus needed no Senate approval, the issue of
concern was that this was the first time that Columbia was seeking to establish
a truly remote program, with limited access for its students to student support
systems, libraries, outstanding Columbia faculty, and indeed “The City.” The
committee met with Dean Lisa Anderson and Steven Cohen to discuss the
implications of such a program. Ultimately the committee remained concerned and
determined that this program ought to be viewed not as a precedent, but as an
experiment, which should be terminated if it does not work. The committee
recommended the implementation of the program for a trial period of no more
than three years, with annual reports to the committee. After this period an
external review should determine whether the program is meeting its goals, and
whether it is enhanced by its presence at Biosphere. If the findings of such a
review are negative, it was the committee’s recommendation that it be
terminated after its fourth year.

·These recommendations were embedded in a committee
report to the Senate on February 1, 2002, and a resolution to adopt these
recommendations was passed at that meeting.

2. proposal to reconfigure
the division of continuing education and special programs as a school of
continuing education in the arts and sciences, authorized to confer the master
of science degree

This proposal received intense scrutiny by the
committee. The new school was proposed to develop the kind of applied
professional graduate degree programs for working adults that are bringing
substantial revenue flows to the institutions with which Columbia competes
locally and nationally. The new school would meet an important educational need
of continuing education students who seek credentials from their educational
experience.

Questions were
raised by the committee concerning the quality assurance of curriculum and of
teaching faculty, governance issues, oversight and external review mechanisms
for each proposed degree program, consultation to prevent potential conflicts
with other units of the university, and collaboration with other units. The
committee was satisfied that all its questions were answered.

·A resolution to
establish the School of Continuing Education in the Arts and Sciences has been
forwarded to the Senate. Senate approval pending—April 26, 2002.

3. guidelines for the administration of dual degree programs

This issue was first raised by members of the
Student Affairs Committee in the Spring of 2000. Dual degree students
participating in recognized “dual degree” or “joint degree” programs, or any
graduate student pursuing two separate degrees, simultaneously or concurrently,
found themselves confronted with a series of problems the most important of
which related to academic information, advising, and student support issues. A
subcommittee of the Education Committee has worked for the past two years with
input from dual degree students and student senators working on these issues as
well. The academic units offering dual degree programs were surveyed to
determine the availability or lack thereof of academic information and other
student support issues. The subcommittee found that there was a great deal of
variability and that some improvements were clearly needed. The committee met
with John Lenzi, Registrar and Executive Director, Student Services, and John
Carter, Deputy Registrar, to get their perspective and recommendations on some
of the issues raised. The subcommittee prepared a series of guidelines in a
report to the Senate, with recommendations to address the problems that were
identified.

·An accompanying
resolution to establish guidelines governing the administration of dual degree
programs, with a provision for a report on their implementation in a year, has
been forwarded to the Senate. Senate approval pending—April 26, 2002.

4. departmental name change

The committee received a request for a departmental
name change: from the Department of Chemical Engineering and Applied Chemistry
to the Department of Chemical Engineering. The committee expressed its hope
that this request signal a reversal of the trend to give units of the
University more complex names, often reflecting transient professional
preferences, and a return to names with clear, unmodified indications of the
disciplines.

·A resolution to change
the name to the Department of Chemical Engineering was passed by the Senate on
September 28, 2001.

5. reviews of new program
proposals

Among the regular duties of the committee is the review of
proposals for new programs, which are received from the Provost’s Office.

The following proposals were approved by the Education
Committee and resolutions were forwarded for their approval by the senate:

The
establishment of a Certificate program in Comparative Literature and
Society (Arts and Sciences). Approved by the Senate on February 22, 2002.

The
establishment of a Ph.D. program in Kinesiology (Arts and Sciences,
Teachers College). Approved by the Senate on February 22, 2002.

The establishment
of a Ph.D. program in Biomedical Engineering (Arts and Sciences, Fu
Foundation School of Engineering). Resolution has been forwarded to the
Senate. Senate approval pending—April
26, 2002.

The
establishment of an M.S. degree program in Strategic Communications (Arts
and Sciences, new School of Continuing Education). This resolution
requires prior Senate approval of the resolution to establish the new
School of Continuing Education. Resolution has been forwarded to the
Senate. Senate approval pending—April
26, 2002.

6. other business

Early Admissions
policy. Prompted by recent publications and questions by some faculty
senators, the committee briefly discussed concerns that surround early decision
practices. The question had been raised whether this practice was fair and
whether it had any effect on the quality of the student body. In Columbia’s
case, in the past students accepted through early decision composed a moderate
percentage of the entering cohort and expressed demographic and financial aid
numbers that were similar to those of the cohort composition in its entirety.
More recently, however, the acceptance rate of early applicants may have
climbed considerably, and the demographic profile of the pool may no longer be
commensurate with that of the larger body.

Committee members had reservations about going beyond the
committee’s charge by questioning the practices of one faculty. It was decided
that, since this was the second time the matter was raised in the committee
(the first time was two years earlier), the committee should at least inform
itself on this matter. The Senate staff was charged with obtaining statistics
concerning the changes in rate of early admissions admittance over time at
Columbia College for future discussion. The
College has not yet complied with this request, which was made in the Autumn
semester of 2001.

Examination policy. The committee was
approached twice this year with complaints about faculty who fail to adhere to
the examination policy, which has been set by the Senate in the past. No
examinations may be given during study days at the end of the semester, nor at
times when core and other classes are scheduled. The committee was of the
opinion that this policy should be upheld. It wishes to reaffirm the policy at
this time.

Pending business. The committee has
received a proposal for the establishment of a new degree and a program leading
to that degree: Doctor of Nursing Practice. A subcommittee has been appointed
to review this proposal and will continue its activities during the summer
recess of the Senate.

Reviews of programs approved by five years
ago by the Senate. Each resolution to establish a new program carries the
provision that the new program will be reviewed in five years. The Education
Committee has searched for a more efficient way to conduct such reviews. A
questionnaire was developed and approved by the committee, and responses are
collected in cooperation with Provost Rittenberg’s office.

Columbia Seconday School. The Education Committee met with representatives of the Columbia Secondary School for Science, Math, and Engineering on two separate occasions. We met first with two teachers who are in leading roles in defining the curriculum of the school, and then with Dr. Maldonado, the principal. The school is planned to house grades 6-12 with about 100 students per grade. We have a sixth grade class which will advance to the seventh grade next year, and are currently admitting a new sixth grade class. The Committee was impressed with the enthusiasm and professionalism of both the teachers and Dr. Maldonado. However, the Committee was deeply concerned that construction of the building that will house the school has not begun, and the project does not seem to be proceeding with a sense of urgency.

Our sixth graders will enter high school as freshmen in fall 2010, and the facilities, particularly laboratory facilities in science and engineering, that will allow the Columbia school to provide an education on a par with Bronx Science, Brooklyn Tech, and Stuyvesant do not exist and it seems clear that they will not exist in time unless this project proceeds with considerable alacrity. We do not seem to have a fallback plan in case the building is not ready for the high school students.

acknowledgment

The committee wishes to express its sincere appreciation to
Trustee emerita Anna Longobardo, Trustee observer, and Paul Thompson, Alumni
representative, for their continued interest and participation in the committee
meetings. Their advice and perspectives have greatly assisted the committee in
its activities during this year.